I got so used to the darkness that when I saw the light, I was surprised. I never expected it to be so warm and welcoming after what I had done. I had hurt so many and destroyed so much, yet here it was, stretching out before me like an open embrace.
The light pulsed gently, almost like a heartbeat, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I could breathe without the weight of the poltergeist crushing my soul.
"Astion..."
A voice—soft, familiar—whispered through the radiance. My chest ached.
Mother?
I had missed her so much but could no longer remember anything about her. She died when I was so young, and my father took other chosen mates who destroyed any trace of her.
She was a traitor to them.
The light flickered, and memories flooded me—her laughter, her warmth, t
